Aiji
by madmiko
Summary: IYYYH The final oneshot to the storyline that started with Koibito. His gift is late, his house is full, and his mate is nuts. HieixKagome


Yes, this is the final chapter of the little story I began with "Koibito." So, I guess you could say it's the third one-shot in a series, but I think it can stand alone, too. It's actually more like the first one than the second, in terms of mood and plot, -- not as far-reaching, -- just focusing on the warm, fluffy goodness of Hiei/Kag. And any OOCness on Hiei's part is completely his fault because he was amusing me and I just couldn't stop writing him that way. I'm sure several of you are familiar with the "blanket" community fics that kept popping up a while back. I always liked those, so I'm kind of tipping my hat to them in this.

DISCLAIMER: I may not have created or own any of the rights to "InuYasha" or "Yu Yu Hakusho," since Takahashi-san and Togashi-san are being close-fisted with them, but I'm having a helluva lot of fun writing about Hiei and Kagome. So, arigatou gozaimasu, great ones!

"**Hiei speaking to Kurama telepathically**"

"_**Kurama speaking to Hiei telepathically**_"

koibito - beloved, lover, sweetheart

koishii - beloved, dear

aiji - beloved child

Aiji

"Onna, didn't you promise me a Christmas gift?" Hiei scowled down at his mate as he led her over to sit down in the new rocking chair her mother and brother had brought over last week.

"Hai, I did," she smiled at him.

"Christmas has passed," he reminded her. "Two days ago."

She giggled. "I know. But I can't help it if the delivery is slow. Would you get the door, please? I'm sure it's Yukina and Kazuma."

"Hn." He stomped over to the door, grumbling about unreliable onnas.

"Yo, Hiei! Is it here yet?"

"No." And he slammed the door in Yusuke's face.

"Hiei! Let Yusuke in," Kagome scolded him, starting to get up.

"What are you getting up for? Sit still. You've been doing too much. You need to rest," he frowned at her as he walked over and put his hands on her shoulders.

"That's a fine greeting," Yusuke said, opening the door and coming in. "It's not _my_ fault that you're still waiting. I never would have thought I'd see the day that _you_ would let something get you all impatient and ... " He was interrupted by another knock at the door. "That's Kuwabara and Yukina. I saw them coming down the path." He turned and opened the door.

"Hey, is it here yet?"

"No! So you can go now," Hiei growled at the tall man.

"Actually, since Yukina is going to be staying with us for a little while, I asked Kazuma if he would like to stay for a few days, too," Kagome told him, reaching up to cover one of his hands with her own.

Well, wasn't that great? As if it wasn't bad enough that her mother had been here for a week already, then Genkai had shown up a few days ago, followed by Botan. Naturally, the fox had also offered his services and had taken up residence here, too. It wouldn't be so bad if Kagome would let the others take over the cooking and cleaning, but instead, she was doing twice as much to try to make sure everyone was comfortable and entertained, in spite of everyone's protests. He turned his frustration on the nearest available target. "What's the matter with _you_, detective? Don't you and your onna want to stay here?"

Yusuke grinned at him. "I'm glad you asked, three-eyes, -- Keiko's packing a bag right now and mine is right outside the door. You don't think we want to miss the big event, do you?"

Kagome giggled as Hiei's grip on her shoulders tightened. "Isn't it nice that we have such wonderful friends?"

The hiyoukai held his tongue as he looked at his mate's shining eyes. He knew she still missed her friends from the past. For her sake, he'd put up with the lot of them. For a few days, anyway.

"Good thing you built such a big house, shrimp," Kuwabara laughed.

Hn. Make that a day or two.

"How are you feeling, Kagome?" Yukina asked.

"Like an over-stuffed goose, -- I'm so fat I can hardly get up once I sit down, and when I _do_ get up, I just waddle around slowly," she laughed.

"You are _not_ fat," Hiei told her. "And if you continue to refuse to go ahead and deliver my son, then you could stand to gain a few more pounds so he doesn't starve while he's waiting to be born."

Her smile grew broader as she looked up at him. "I told you, _I'm_ not the one who's holding things up, -- it's your _daughter_ who is taking her own sweet time."

"Heh heh! You tell him, Kagome! I've got 10,000 yen on it being a girl," Yusuke said.

"You're betting on whether or not it's a boy or a girl?" Yukina asked.

"Heck, we've got a whole pool going. Since it didn't show up before Christmas, we all picked a day, whether or not it's a boy or a girl, and whether or not it turns out to be a hanyou, a youkai, a human, or something else," the toushin answered with a grin.

Kagome blinked at that. She had been a bit concerned herself over exactly _what_ the baby would be, with a youkai for a father and a human-turned-Immortal Guardian for a mother, -- well, it could be _anything_. It had taken quite a bit of convincing for King Enma to grant permission for her to stay in the Ningenkai after the Shikon no Tama had been completed and she had made a wish which resulted in her permanent guardianship over it, since she failed to release the souls and the power inside it. She suspected Hiei had basically had to swear allegiance to the Reikai to get Enma to agree to let her stay, though he had never said so. She just hoped they didn't have to deal with a lot of red tape for the baby to live here, too.

"_Who_ is _we_?" Hiei wanted to know.

"It was grandma's idea, but we're all in it, ... well, except for Yukina and Keiko, I guess. Even Kagome's mom and the old priest chipped in," Yusuke informed him. "You can still get in on it, if you want, Yukina. Granny's keeping the book."

"No, -- thank you, though. It will be gift enough for me to see my brother's baby, no matter when or what it is," the gentle koorime smiled.

"Arigatou, Yukina. That's a lovely thought," Kagome smiled at the other woman, and then glared at Yusuke, as she struggled to stand with Hiei's help.

"And what are you doing now, onna?"

"I need to show everyone to their rooms."

Of course. Then she would start digging in the closets to make sure everyone had enough bathing supplies and towels. Next, she would head to the kitchen in case anyone wanted a snack. She'd bring out cards and game boards and movies. Then she'd want to start fixing dinner. And cleaning up from dinner. And preparing more entertainment and snacks. If everyone and everything was fine, she'd go re-fold all the baby clothes and rearrange the assortment of toys she had sitting on shelves in their bedroom. She had already re-organized the collection of books she had to read to the baby at least seven times. Alphabetically, then by size, then by color, then by whether or not they were rhymes and lullabies or stories. He should know. She'd been doing this for the past couple of weeks. The only time the onna rested was when she took a long, hot bath or after he tired her out in the bed. And that actually took some doing, because her hormones made her really, really lusty. He wasn't complaining about that, though.

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The next night, when Kagome was taking a bath, Hiei took the others aside. "I'm sure you've all noticed that she just can't seem to sit still."

"Heh heh!" Genkai laughed. "She's got the worst case of it I've ever seen."

"Worst case of what?" Yukina asked curiously.

"Well, some people say that when pregnant women get near to delivering, they get the urge to 'nest.' They cook and clean and try to prepare absolutely everything they can think of so it'll all be ready when the baby is born," Mama Higurashi explained. "I think a lot of it is nervous energy. I thought I had it bad when I was pregnant with _her_, but she's got me beat."

"Part of it could be this time of year, too. She was telling me all of her plans for the next three days. She really intends to start off the new year right. She wants to clean the whole house from top to bottom, and with all of us here, she is planning to fix enough food to feed an army, -- much more than just the usual osechi ryori, ozoni, mochi, and toshikoshi soba dishes," Botan told them. "She wants to decorate, too, and prepare kites. And she wants to go to Genkai's temple for the bell ringing, especially since Genkai agreed to let her grandfather and brother handle it this year."

"What is there to clean? I'm afraid to drop a napkin on the floor after the way she got down to pick mine up last night and just about couldn't get back up," Yusuke said.

"Well, she wants to wash all of the bedding, the curtains, the rugs. Sweep and mop. Clean out the cabinets..." Botan ticked a few things off on her fingers.

Mama Higurashi chuckled. "She did that last week."

"Hai, but she said that things could have gotten dusty and they have to be _absolutely_ _spotless_ for the new year," Keiko said with a grin.

"Since she is determined to do so, we will simply have to pitch in so she doesn't do so much," Kurama looked around the room at everyone. "We need to keep her busy with small tasks. She can make lists of the chores to be done and the foods she wants to fix. Then we'll sit her at the table to peel and chop vegetables or something like that. Or she can sit on the couch and match socks, or do a little sewing."

"**Arigatou, fox,**" Hiei silently thanked him.

Kurama's eyes twinkled as he nodded his acknowledgement.

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Kagome slept a little later than usual the next morning, thanks to some extra effort on her mate's part. When she got up, breakfast was already ready. With all of the women laughing and joking in the kitchen, everything was cleaned and put away quickly. Then she happily agreed to write out the lists. It just made sense to be organized when there was so much to do. But as soon as she had them done, Kurama took them and divvied up the tasks among everyone. She had known they would help, -- they had all been very helpful so far, -- but he didn't leave her much to do.

She sat on the couch and watched everyone bustling about as she sorted through the clean socks. When she had them all matched up, she went to get the broom to sweep where they had removed the rugs.

"Uh-uh. That's the next thing on _my_ list," Yusuke told her, taking the broom out of her hands.

She wandered outside to see if some of the sheets and blankets were dry yet. When she started taking them down, Kurama came up behind her. "I've got those," he indicated the empty basket he was carrying. "And the girls are waiting to put them on the beds," he let her know, to forestall any further action on her part.

When she went back inside, she decided to go ahead and dust. Turning her around and planting a kiss on her lips, Hiei took the dusting cloth from her hand. "The fox gave that chore to me."

"Well, I can get another cloth and we can both do it. There's an awful lot to dust ..." her voice trailed off as he frowned and shook his head at her.

"I thought you were going to do some things in the kitchen."

"I _was_, but Mama and Genkai-sama shooed me out of there. Mama said she wanted to fix my favorite oden and Genkai-sama wanted to learn her recipe, so she said she'd help. Kurama is gathering the sheets and Keiko, Botan, and Yukina are planning to make the beds. I can't even mop until Yusuke finishes sweeping ..."

Hiei interrupted her, 'The idiot is doing the mopping."

"See there?" She stamped her foot and pouted. "How am I supposed to get the house cleaned if everyone else is doing everything?"

Her mate's lips twitched. "Isn't it good enough that the house is being cleaned just like you wanted it to be?"

"No. _I'm _supposed to be the one doing it," she insisted.

"Why?"

She stared at him. "I don't know why. That's just the way it's supposed to be."

"You're just being stubborn. The way it's supposed to be is you're supposed to relax and leave all the heavy work to us. Why don't you go lie down for a while and try to rest?"

"Because I'm not tired," she glared at him.

"Hn. All right." He tossed the dusting cloth over his shoulder and took her by the hand. "Then why don't we _both _go lie down for a while?"

"_Now?_ But, ... everyone ..."

"Everyone is otherwise occupied. They'll never even miss us," he coaxed her as he led her to their bedroom.

"Who will do the dusting?"

"Who cares?"

That night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Hiei stomped down to the kitchen and picked up his protesting mate to carry her back to bed. "But, Hiei, I forgot to tell anyone to sort through the canned goods."

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The next day, after Kagome had the kites made, and the kodomatsu, shimenawa, and shimekazari decorations arranged to her satisfaction and ready to set out at the proper time, Hiei caught her lugging a huge basket of laundry, which he promptly took out of her arms. Then he found her scrubbing a bathtub and simply picked her up and took her to the kitchen and sat her down. Later, he saw her outside, washing windows, but the scowl on his face was enough to bring her back inside. He had already forced her to go lie down once that afternoon, with him, of course, but when he heard her mother yell, that was the last straw.

"_Kagome!! _What are you doing?!!?"

He raced into the kitchen to see his extremely pregnant wife and life-mate standing on her tiptoes _on the counter_ wiping off the tops of the cabinets. "Damnit, onna!!" Grabbing hold of her, he hauled her off of the counter and carried her into the living room. Setting her down on the couch, he leaned forward and pinned her in place with his arms stretched out on both side of her. In clipped tones, he asked, "Do you want to tell me what the hell you think were doing?"

Everyone else made themselves scarce.

Kagome squirmed a bit uncomfortably under his intense glare. "Cleaning?"

Closing his eyes and resting his forehead on hers, Hiei took a deep breath. "You are being reckless and ridiculously stubborn."

"The counter was perfectly ..." she stopped that argument when she saw the look on his face. "Hiei, I need to _do _something. I ... I'm ... "

"What?" he asked in a gentler tone.

"I guess I'm ... _anxious_. Maybe even just a little bit scared. Everything is about to change for us, and I've been looking forward to it so much, but at the same time, kind of not wanting to give up this time we've had together -- with just the two of us. I want the baby to get here so I'll _know _what it's going to be like for all of us, but it just isn't happening yet. And I can't help but wonder if the Reikai is going to give us problems. Or ... if I'm going to be a good mother. Or if I'll ever see my feet again," she tried to smile, but her eyes were unnaturally bright and glistening.

Brushing her hair out of her eyes, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were worried?" He had had no idea anything was bothering her at all. She was always so cheerful and optimistic.

"It seems _ungrateful_ to burden you with my silly fears when you've done so much for me, -- when you've _given_ me so much. I know I'm being silly ..."

"It's not silly to wonder about the future, but you shouldn't have kept it to yourself. We're going through this together, -- just like everything else life decides to throw at us, or bless us with. Whatever happens with the Reikai, I'll take care of it. And I'm not a bit worried about whether or not you'll be a good mother. I know you will be. It's a good thing, too, since he's going to have me for a father and I don't know _anything_ about taking care of children," he said with a grin.

"You'll be a wonderful father. _She's_ going to be a very lucky little girl."

He arched a brow at her, glad that she was feeling a bit better since she was teasing him, and then he kissed her tenderly. "Would you like it if we went somewhere tomorrow? Just the two of us?" When she nodded, he brushed his lips over hers again. Then he pulled back and frowned again. "But I'd better not catch you climbing on anything else or you'll have something else to add to your list of worries."

"Deal."

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Hiei stretched out on the thick pallet of blankets he had laid out for them. He had left early that morning to get everything ready, and then shortly before lunchtime, he had returned, handed Kagome her coat, and scooped her up.

"Where are they going?" Yukina asked.

"Hiei said they needed some time together, so he's taking her for a picnic," Kurama told her with a smile.

"A picnic? In this weather? It's too cold to be out for very long," Keiko said.

Yusuke draped an arm across her shoulders and smirked. "You forget, -- Hiei is part fire demon. He'll make sure she stays warm, even if he has to make her take a nap like he's been doing. Oomph!" Keiko elbowed him in the gut.

When they had finally reached their destination, Kagome fussed at him for carrying her so far.

"Onna, you are _not_ too heavy for me. You wouldn't be too heavy even if I _wasn't_ a youkai, which I _am_."

When she had settled down, she admired his choice of location. They were in a large meadow in a fairly deserted area of the Makai, with a thin stream trickling nearby. There was a cave nearby in case the winds picked up, but for now they enjoyed the mid-day warmth. He had brought several blankets for them to sit on so they wouldn't be on the cold ground, and her mother and Kurama had packed them a large basket of food and several bottles of water. Kurama had even produced a beautiful white rose for him to give her, -- just like he had on White Day.

While he lay there, she sat next to him, talking about her hopes and some of her fears. He was surprised again to discover that she was nervous about actually giving birth. _He_ had worried about that earlier on, but she had always been so reassuring about her health and her confidence in Genkai and her mother, not to mention Botan and Yukina, should there be any problems. There had never been any question of her seeking medical care in any ningen facility. Any anomalies due to the potential demonic or other-worldly nature of the baby would cause problems, and they couldn't afford to have her monitored or scrutinized too closely by ningen doctors. Koenma had actually offered to put her under the care of some of the Reikai's best physicians, but when Genkai had snorted and said she could do just as well as any of them, Kagome had taken her up on it.

When he saw her arch her back and furrow her brow, he sat up and rubbed her back. It had seemed to be bothering her when they got up that morning, and he frowned when he remembered that she had asked him to rub it last night when they had finally lain down to go to sleep. She had slept restlessly, and now that he thought about it, she had seemed uncomfortable when he had been carrying her. His eyes grew wide as he realized there were two possible reasons for her current back pain, which now that he studied her closer seemed to be more intense than he had thought. Either she had overdone it and hurt herself with all of the work she had insisted on doing, or ...

"Kagome, you would tell me if the baby were coming, right?"

"Hiei, ... the baby's coming."

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She looked at him in shock when she felt her water break. Although he wasn't immediately aware of what had caused her to suddenly become alarmed, he reacted to it by picking her up and getting ready to race back to the Ningenkai. She shook her head and gripped his shoulders tightly. "Gomen, Hiei. I don't think that's a good idea," she gasped out. It wasn't that she thought he couldn't get there in time, but the instant her water broke, an intense pain had wracked her body and she was feeling sick.

So, Hiei just stood there and held her until her grip on him eased, then he headed for the cave. He was doubly glad he had thought to throw a couple of extra blankets in there, too, since her clothing was wet. He asked her if she could undress by herself, and then went back for the other blankets and the basket. The top two blankets were also wet, but he brought them with him, along with the one that was still dry. They sure didn't need any youkai catching the scent of a female in labor, and therefore vulnerable, and deciding to attack. She asked for one of the bottles of water so she could wash herself off, and then she wrapped up in one of the clean blankets. He set one of the other clean blankets out for her to sit on.. After starting a small fire for warmth and light, he picked up the three empty bottles to fill them in the stream. As an afterthought, he grabbed up their rice bowls, too. He wondered if five bottles and two little bowls of water were enough for the purposes of childbirth. He would have laughed if he weren't feeling so panicky, and he cursed to himself all the way to the stream and back.

When he walked back inside the cave, he could tell immediately that her pain had returned. Setting down the bowls and bottles carefully, he sat down beside her and took her hand. How far apart were the pains? Six minutes? Maybe eight? What the hell had possessed him to bring her to the Makai for a fucking _picnic?_ Had he lost his mind? Had _she_ lost _hers_? Why the fuck didn't she tell him she was in labor? When her pain had eased again, he opened his mouth to yell at her, but he just couldn't. He could easily see her apology in those big, beautiful blue eyes, and all he could do was sigh and hold her close to him.

"I wasn't sure they were labor pains at first. I, uh, thought I might have pulled a muscle in my back," she said a bit sorrowfully.

"And you weren't about to tell me _that_, were you?"

She smiled a bit. "Nope."

"When did you realize what they were?"

She bit her bottom lip. "About 10:30 this morning. I had finally picked up on the regularity of them."

"Onna," he said exasperatedly, "that was over an hour before we left."

"Hai, I know," she admitted, "but, I really wanted to spend some time with you, and I thought there was plenty of time. Mama said she was in labor with me for 22 hours, and it's only been about 13 hours. The pains weren't that bad, either, until now."

_Twenty-two hours?_ He didn't even want to think about that. Thirteen hours was more than enough. "Can you close off the cave entrance with a barrier?" He looked around inside. "And that passageway there?" he indicated a narrow passage leading off into the Western side of the cave. He didn't want to have to worry about something ambushing them.

When he was sure the area was as secure as they could make it, he turned his attention back to her. It wasn't a minute later that he saw her face grow tight, and she leaned forward and groaned softly. It couldn't have been more than five or six minutes since the last one. This one lasted longer. He let her cling to his hand while he just sat there feeling completely useless.

Over the next few hours, he helped her walk around when she wanted to, and he held her hands and wiped her brow of the sweat that beaded there. She said she was thirsty, but he only let her have a few sips of the water. He remembered Genkai saying something about not eating or drinking when she was in labor. It turned out the old onna was right, because Kagome immediately got sick. So much for _that_ blanket. He put it as far away from them as he could and incinerated it, like he had the others earlier. They were down to the blanket on the ground and the clean one that Kagome had wrapped around her. He had his cloak, too, and he was beginning to think they would be needing it.

The temperature outside had dropped. He knew his teammates were probably looking for them by now, and he cursed himself again for not telling the fox where he was taking her. They would never believe he had taken her into the Makai. They'd search all over Kyoto and probably Tokyo, where her shrine was, before trying to second-guess him. And it wouldn't do them a damn bit of good to have Koenma try to locate them with the barriers he had her put up. But there was no question of letting those down now that the sun had gone down.

Finally, after 3 and-a-half hours of pushing, and the complete and utter destruction of the blanket on the ground, which had been very quickly disposed of, along with the placenta he had been forced to wrap up in it, (there was _no way_ he was going to save the umbilical cord in a wooden box!), Hiei sat with his arms wrapped around his mate as she held their son. He was going to have to have her drop the barrier to the outside in a few minutes so he could fetch more water. He had torn apart and mutilated youkai in various nasty ways throughout his lifetime, but he grimaced in remembrance of what he had just been through. Childbirth was messy business. He had a new respect for all females of all races. They were a lot tougher than he gave them credit for. And despite the fact that his being male had gotten him cast out of his mother's land, he was deeply grateful to _be_ male at that moment.

"Isn't he beautiful?" his precious, much-adored and beloved mate asked, cutting into his thoughts.

His brows disappeared under his bandanna. Surely she did not just ask him ... He looked at the tiny, squirming bundle in her arms. The thin, light covering of teal blue hair, which was still tinged red with the remnants of blood and other fluids Hiei had no desire to ever think about again, did not hide the squashed, slightly pointy top of the baby's head. His face was red and splotchy, and looked as wrinkly as Kagome's grandfather. His eyes were bare slits in the folds of skin, and the red pupils seemed to dart suspiciously about.

Then he looked at Kagome's face as she gazed in amazed adoration at every little feature, running her finger gently along his little ears and softly caressing his pudgy cheek. He always knew she had bad taste. After all, she was crazy about _him_, wasn't she? But still, ...

"Hiei?" She turned to look at him questioningly.

"Of course he's beautiful. Look at who his mother is."

He let her smile and her overflowing happiness warm him, and he looked at his son again. Hn. He was still better-looking than that oaf, Kuwabara.

Retrieving the water and cutting some strips from the only remaining blanket, he let Kagome finish cleaning herself and the baby. He would have to get them home soon, but he had to admit, he was loath to give up this peaceful time with just the three of them. They were discussing what to name him when he began to cry, and as the tiny tears turned to beautiful white gems, Hiei suddenly stared at him in shock. Picking one up and holding it carefully, he turned to Kagome. "This is impossible."

"What?" she asked him, while trying to soothe the baby.

"These are hiroseki stones."

"Hai," she agreed, realizing her son must be hungry. "Why are you so surprised?"

"You don't understand, -- these are _pure_ hiroseki stones, like Yukina's." He pointed to the red stone in her ring. "He's not just full youkai, -- he's full koori - ... well, I guess he'd be called a kooriotoko. There's never been a full-blooded male born to my mother's people before. That's why the race is called koorime: ice maidens. There are no males."

Shifting her position so she could try to nurse the baby, Kagome glanced at Hiei questioningly. "But, what about youkai like Touya? He's an ice demon, isn't he?"

"No, he is an ice _master_. He is able to manipulate his youki into ice. That's his weapon of choice. But the nature of his youki is not ice, -- it's water."

"Oh, I had wondered about that. So, you're saying our son is the only male youkai whose blood and youki are full koori as far as you know? Well, _he's _certainly going to be popular when he grows up," Kagome smiled.

If she wasn't going to let it faze her, neither would he. But he was sure there was going be some interesting and complicated bargaining going on with King Enma again in his future. "What is he doing?" he asked, as he watched the infant continue to cry as he rubbed his cheeks against her breast. He would have to collect all of those little stones before they left.

He smirked as he saw the color rise in her face. "He's 'rooting.' He wants to eat, but he's a little too frantic and I can't get him to latch on. Mama said some babies don't catch on right away, and I can't get him to hold still enough to help him."

Hiei stared at his son again. That settled it. He really was a full-blooded koori youkai. As dear as Yukina was to him, he had to admit she wasn't the brightest individual. Apparently his son wasn't either. It had to be the koori blood. He was male, and a youkai, and he couldn't latch on to a nipple that he was rubbing his face into? Akihiro was out as a possible name. He chuckled to himself as he put a hand against the side of his son's face to keep him from turning away from his goal. His success was obvious from the "Ow!" Kagome squeaked out.

An hour later, as he was contemplating trying to move his mate and son without disturbing their sleep, he finally heard a familiar voice call.

"_**Hiei? Are you out here?**_"

"**What took you so long, fox?**"

"_**I guess that means you won't be needing the clothing, towels, and blankets we brought with us.**_"

"**Hn.**"

After Kagome and the baby were both dressed in fresh, clean yukata and Hiei had wrapped a clean, thick blanket around the both of them, Yusuke and Kuwabara laid into him about bringing her to the Makai when she was due to give birth. Keeping her voice down so as not to disturb her son, Kagome nevertheless told them to _back off_ and leave him alone. That turned their attention to _her_ and what Hiei had told them about her already being in labor when they had left that morning. Since she had defended him so loyally, he felt compelled to half-heartedly defend her, too, which caused Kagome to glare at him and Kurama to snicker behind his hand. But the fox came to his rescue again by asking, "So, what is his name?"

Hiei looked at Kagome. Their discussion had been interrupted by their discovery of the hiroseki stones. Without hesitation, she answered, "Kazuki." He nodded his approval.

"Then I take it he isn't going to be an only child, since he is the _first_ of a new generation," Kurama commented with a grin.

Having seen what she just went through to give birth to this one, and with the sounds of her pained cries still fresh in his mind, Hiei wasn't so sure she would want to have more. But she just smiled and said, "Of course he isn't going to be an only child. Just look at him, -- I want a dozen just like him."

"Can we get Botan to open a portal here to take us back? That was a long trek," Yusuke complained.

"Oh, what time is it?" Kagome cried.

"It's almost midnight," Kuwabara told her.

"Can we please go to the temple? I'd like to hear Jii-chan and Souta ring the bells."

Picking her up and making sure she was comfortable, Hiei said, "Well, you heard her. Hurry up and call Botan."

They waited in the courtyard after the last of the 108 chimes rang out until her grandfather and younger brother saw them and came to greet them. Even after all this time, her Jii-chan still glanced suspiciously at all four of the Spirit Detectives, including his granddaughter's husband. When he saw the small bundle in her arms, he approached carefully. When he was close enough to see him clearly, he said, "That child is a youkai."

"Hai, he is. Isn't he adorable?"

"A boy?"

"Hai, his name is Kazuki."

"And he was born before I started to ring the bells?"

"Um, ... hai, ..."

"Whooopee!!" he cried and danced around. "I won!! I won!! I told that old biddy, but she laughed at me. We'll see who's laughing when she pays up."

"Crap! I forgot about the pool," Yusuke smacked his forehead. "Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow?"

"Ha! It wouldn't have helped you, -- it's a boy, Urameshi," Kuwabara reminded him.

"The women were all coming here for the Joya-no-Kane, so we should find them and all head back to Hiei's house," Kurama pointed out.

"Hai, let's go home," Kagome said, resting her head on Hiei's shoulder and cuddling her son close.

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Several weeks later, Kagome came out of the kitchen after cleaning up the dinner dishes and saw Hiei lying down on the couch with Kazuki snuggled up on his chest. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them lying there like that. Kazuki looked just like a miniature version of him, except he had Yukina's coloring. His hair was already starting to stick up in that uniquely strange fashion. She wondered if Hiei was aware he had started calling his son "aiji," when he was talking to him, like she often did. He probably was. For someone who had seemed so stoic and unapproachable when she first met him, he had certainly turned out to be an extremely doting and loving husband and father, and he didn't care what anyone thought about it, either. Whenever Yusuke or Kazuma tried to tease him about it, he just stared them down.

Hiei sensed her approaching, but didn't open his eyes. He was very content just as he was, and he knew she could spend hours just watching Kazuki sleep. He had watched her do it. Sure enough, she kneeled down right beside the couch. She was so predictable when it came to their son. She wouldn't be able to keep from touching him for more than a minute or two. She would have to pat his back, and touch his face, and give him her finger to hold. But his eyes opened and he turned his head slightly to look at her when he felt her fingers trailing down _his _cheek and across his lips.

"What are you doing, koishii?"

She smiled and leaned forward, whispering against his lips right before she kissed him, "Counting my blessings. Arigatou, koibito." The light, tender kisses grew passionate and Hiei was glad Kazuki was a good sleeper. He was going to put him straight to bed in the little bassinet in their room. Then he was putting _her_ to bed. He slowly and carefully moved to get up without waking the baby who was sleeping so soundly.

As they walked to their room, Hiei couldn't resist commenting, "Hn. It will be Valentine's Day in a couple of weeks. Are you going to make me some more honmei choco?"

"Hai. And it probably won't take me more than three tries this time. My cooking has improved this past year, hasn't it?" she teased him.

He smirked at that. "Perhaps, but you need to work on your punctuality. I'll expect my next Christmas gift on time."

She raised her brows at him. "Your _next_ Christmas gift? _This_ one wasn't enough?"

"I thought you said you wanted a dozen just like him," he reminded her.

"I didn't necessarily mean one a year for the next twelve years," she giggled.

"All right, I'll tell you what. _Next_ year, I will do my best to see that _your_ Christmas gift comes with a bright red ribbon, -- to put in _her_ hair."

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A/N: In the days before the new year begins, most Japanese households are very busy with the kind of cleaning we tend to do when we are "spring cleaning." Closets get cleaned out, tops of cabinets get dusted, etc. It is important to start the new year off with a "clean slate." Debts get paid, obligations are taken care of, and thanks given or gifts acknowledged. Food is prepared to last through the first few days of the new year so no work will have to be done. It's traditional to eat soba (buckwheat noodles) on New Year's Eve because the thin, long noodles symbolize longevity. They call it _toshikoshi soba _-- passing the year.

_Osechi ryori_, _ozoni _soup, and _mochi, _(rice cakes), in many forms, make up some of the traditional dishes prepared ahead of time. There is even a New Year's decoration made from mochi, called _Kagami_, which is supposed to be placed in the main room in a house. Two of the cakes, round, are placed with one on top of the other one to serve as the dwelling place for the god of the harvest and as an offering to him. Other decorations set out around the house are _kadomatsu_, which is made of pine and bamboo and set outside the doors; _shimenawa_, which is made from twisted ropes of straw and is hung on doors; and _shimekazari_, which is made from straw, paper decorations, and tangerines and is set in various places around the house.

I had Kagome wanting to make kites because _takoage_ (kite flying) is a traditional New Year's Day activity, though it isn't as popular as it used to be.

While we tend to think of big parties and huge gatherings to celebrate New Year's Eve, that night is usually reserved for family in Japan. Many go to the Buddhist temples to hear the Joya-no-Kane, the tolling of the 108 chimes by the great bells or gongs there. Buddhist belief has it that man has 108 sins or attachments to the ego that he must let go of before the new year.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone with the significance I gave to the baby being born as a full-blooded koori youkai. Hiei was at a loss as to what to call him for a minute there, since koorime specifically means ice _maiden_. So, the boy couldn't be considered a koorime. Hiei came up with kooriotoko, or ice _male_, for lack of a better term. And yes, I did take liberties with Touya, because I find him being an actual koori youkai kind of a strange situation , since the koorime can't produce male children. (Remember, Hiei is male because he is the product of a forbidden relationship with a male hiyoukai. He has some koori blood, but he's not a full-blooded koori youkai.) Where the heck did _Touya_ come from anyway? LOL!! Yoo hoo, Togashi-san, you got some 'splaining to do!

Oh, and Hiei decided _Akihiro_ wouldn't be a good name for his son. It means "bright scholar." LOL!! (But he loves him anyway. )


End file.
